Masked Man: Howard McGillin's Phantom Transformation

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What makes Howard McGillin, who has played the title role in The Phantom of the Operalonger than any other Broadway Phantom, get into character? Well, an hour and a half in the makeup chair, for starters. We spent some time with the charming actor, who has starred in the role on and off since 1999 (more than 2,300 performance, for those who are counting) as he was transformed from handsome—and tall!—contemporary New Yorker to the decidedly not handsome—but still tall—Phantom. Join us in McGillin's dressing room at the Majestic Theatre, where the star submits to the unflinching hand of makeup artist Thelma Pollard and undergoes a makeover unlike any other. To learn more about McGillin, be sure to check out his NYC picks in his My New York. By the way, Broadway's Phantom turns